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Objective: To develop an educational framework basis for improving the teaching of the neurologic examination (NE) by asking German neurologists to (1) identify the basic elements of the screening NE and (2) nominate the steps they would deem mandatory for medical students to master., Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey among neurologists working in a hospital or ambulatory setting in southwest Germany. To define the screening NE, neurologists were asked to list the NE components they normally use in clinical encounters with patients in whom neurologic findings are unlikely. Furthermore, they were asked to identify additional elements of the NE which they would consider mandatory for students to master., Results: Our neurologists nominated a set of 23 elements as being essential for a screening NE. There was high consensus among the 2 groups, and the results were concordant with international data. Furthermore, nearly 60 additional maneuvers of the NE were deemed obligatory for students to master., Conclusion: Our results reinforce the international consensus for screening NE components and confirm a large set of additional examination steps that medical students should master, thereby indicating the need for an educational NE teaching concept. To solve this educational challenge, we propose a longitudinal curriculum that incorporates the "core + clusters" framework, thus combining the screening NE (core) with hypothesis-driven sets of maneuvers (clusters). Based on our data, we provide an initial proposal for the core and neurologic diagnostic clusters which is applicable to both novice and advanced learners across the continuum of training., (© 2019 American Academy of Neurology.)

Objective: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy both present predominantly with parkinsonism at early stages, whereas cerebellar symptoms are largely masked in multiple system atrophy with parkinsonism (MSAP). We sought to determine whether the velocity profiles of saccades could be used to differentiate between these two disorders, revealing the underlying basal ganglia and/or cerebellar dysfunction and brainstem pathology in these disorders., Methods: Sixteen MSA-P patients, 63 PD patients, and 36 age-matched normal subjects performed the visually guided (VGS) and memory-guided saccade (MGS) tasks. Targets were presented at eccentricities of 5, 10, 20, and 30 degrees. The amplitude, peak velocity, and duration of saccades were compared among subject groups. Duration was further subdivided into acceleration and deceleration periods, corresponding to the times before and after peak velocity. These parameters correlated with the severity of Parkinsonism as assessed by the UPDRS motor score., Results: Hypometria predominated in both PD and MSAP patients, whereas hypermetria, frequently noted in cerebellar ataxia, was rarely observed. Saccades in MSAP were characterized both by prolonged acceleration and deceleration periods with reduced peak velocity. In contrast, the velocity profile of PD patients was characterized mainly by the prolonged deceleration period. The changes observed in velocity profiles of MGS deteriorated with advancing severity of parkinsonism in MSAP and PD patients., Conclusion: Saccade profiles provide useful information for differentiating between PD and MSAP at early stages. While the changes in velocity profiles may be explained by the cerebellar and brainstem pathology in MSAP, the changes in velocity profile in both PD and MSAP correlated significantly with increasing severity of Parkinsonism in both disorders, suggesting a link with striatonigral pathology., Significance: The differential changes in saccade velocity profiles of MSAP and PD may be used as a measure indexing the progression of cerebellar and basal ganglia dysfunction as well as for assessing the functional improvement when clinical treatment becomes available., (Copyright © 2019 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to explore inter-rater reliability of primitive signs in a group of patients assessed for dementia., Patients and Methods: 97 patients admitted to our University Hospital for cognitive impairment were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 73.04 ± 8.68 (53 females and 44 males). All patients were examined by two cognitive neurologists in a blind fashion. The grasp reflex, the snout reflex, the glabella tap reflex and the palmomental reflex were elicited according to the current literature. Moreover, we add a stretch reflexes (the masseter reflex) to our battery., Results: The most frequent primitive reflex was the palmomental reflex followed by the glabella tap, snout, and grasp. The inter-rater reliability was measured for each primitive reflex: grasp reflex (0.884) have a strong correspondence; the glabella tap (0.556), the palmomental (0.516) and the snout reflex (0.445) have otherwise a weak correspondence. The masseter reflex reaches a moderate agreement (0.662). All the measurements reached statistical significance (p < 0.005)., Conclusion: The results of the study show weak to substantial agreement for primitive signs and the masseter reflex as expressed by the low-to-high kappa values., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Quantitative evaluation of upper limb (UL) kinematics in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP) remains challenging for researchers and clinicians, especially during bimanual situations. This study proposed a new 3D bimanual protocol dedicated to children with uCP, called "Be an Airplane Pilot" (BE-API protocol) and assessed its reliability for typically developing children (TDC)., Methods: this protocol is composed of four bimanual tasks that allow the exploration of all degrees of freedom of the hemiplegic/non-dominant UL. Twenty TDC (mean age 11.9 ± 3.4) carried out three protocol sessions. Reliability was investigated through three kinematic parameters: angular waveforms (WAVE) using the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC), range of motion (RoM) and maximum angles (MAX) both using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM)., Results: A very good reliability was observed for the three kinematic parameters in most cases (WAVE: CMC ≥0.90, RoM & MAX: ICC ≥0.81, SEM ≤5.0°)., Discussion: the very good reliability can be partly explained by the high level of rigor of the protocol. Such promising results open the door to validation tests on children with uCP. The BE-API protocol could pretend to support clinical decisions by objectively assessing the efficiency of therapeutics, e.g. injection of botulinic toxin., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: We aim to evaluate the effects of injury-related factors and clinician training grades on the frequency, completion and accuracy of International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) charts in a tertiary care neurosurgery unit., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analysed 96 ISNCSCI charts of 24 traumatic spinal cord-injured (SCI) patients and 26 controls (vertebral fracture but neurologically intact), written by 50 clinicians. Seven components of each ISNCSCI charts (motor scores, sensory scores, sensory levels, motor levels, neurological level of injury, SCI severity and AIS) were reviewed to evaluate the effect of injury factors and clinician grade on the completion and accuracy of the ISNCSCI components., Results: The ISNCSCI chart was used 1.9 times on average during admission. The number of ISNCSCI assessments was significant in those with isolated spinal injuries (p = 0.03). The overall completion and accuracy rates of the assessed ISNCSCI chart components were 39% and 78.1%, respectively. Motor levels and AIS had the lowest completion rates. Motor levels and sensory levels had the lowest accuracy rates. The completion rate was higher in the charts of male patients, tetraplegic patients, and in patients with isolated spinal injuries. The junior clinicians had a significantly greater ISNCSCI chart completion rate than their seniors. However, the senior clinicians were more accurate in completing the ISNCSCI chart components., Conclusion: The quality of ISNCSCI documentation remained poor regardless of the clinician training grade and injury factors. Clinicians should be educated on the ISNCSCI protocol and the importance of adequate documentation.

Thus far, few studies have examined the estimation and actual performance of locomotor ability in older adults. To our knowledge, there are no studies examining the relationship between stepping-forward estimation versus ability and fall occurrence. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the reliability and validity of a new test for fall risk assessment in community-dwelling older adults. In total, 347 participants (73.1 ± 6.2 years; 266 women) were assessed for their perception of maximum distance for the stepping-forward and action boundary. The test was developed following the existing literature and expert opinions. The task showed strong internal consistency. Intraclass correlation ranged from 0.99 to 1 for intrarater agreement and from 0.83 to 0.97 for interrater agreement. Multivariate binary regression analysis models revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.665 (95% CI: 0.608-0.723) for fallers and 0.728 (95% CI: 0.655-0.797) for recurrent fallers. The stepping-forward affordance perception test (SF-APT) was demonstrated to be accurate, reliable and valid for fall risk assessment. The results showed that a large estimated stepping-forward associated with an underestimated absolute error works as a protective mechanism for fallers and recurrent fallers in community-dwelling older adults. SF-APT is safe, quick, easy to administer, well accepted and reproducible for application in community or clinical settings by either clinical or nonclinical care professionals., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: The International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) includes testing light touch (LT) and sharp/dull discrimination, also known as pinprick (PP) testing. The order these tests are performed varies by clinician and no true standard exists. The objective of this study was to determine patients' perceptions of discomfort from each modality and their preferences for the order of the sensory exam. Design: A questionnaire was administered following the exam regarding the degree of pain/discomfort experienced from each modality and patients' preferences for testing order. Participants: 91 adults with traumatic SCI, 55% with neurologically complete injuries and 34% first-time examinees/those who did not recall a previous sensory examination. Main Outcome Measures: Level of pain/discomfort from both sensory modalities and preference on order of sensory testing. Results: All subjects reported that LT was not painful. 57% reported the PP testing as not painful, 24% as moderately painful, and 18.7% as very painful. The majority (66%) reported no preference for testing order, however, first-time examinees and those who did not recall previous sensory testing, were more likely to describe PP testing as "very painful" and report more "very painful" experiences when PP testing was completed first. Conclusions: First-time examinees including those who did not recall previous sensory testing, may experience more pain/discomfort from PP testing especially when PP is tested first. Therefore, testing LT first, especially for the first-time examinee and those who do not recall a previous exam, may allow for a more comfortable experience.

Objective: Impaired manual dexterity is one of the major disorder in people with Parkinson's Disease (PwPD). However, there is limited research examining the measurement properties, especially the validity and responsiveness of the tools used to assess manual dexterity. The aim of this study was to examine reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Squares Test (ST) in PwPD., Patients and Methods: Fifty-seven PwPD and 50 healthy people, all of whom were right-handed, were recruited. The ST, Nine-Hole Peg Test, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and Hoehn and Yahr scale were performed in ON state. For responsiveness analysis, the ST and UPDRS motor score (UPDRS-III) were also performed in OFF state., Results: The ST showed excellent test-retest reliability. The ST was found to correlate significantly with other outcome measures, which indicated good concurrent validity. PwPD demonstrated significantly lower scores of the ST than healthy people, which demonstrated satisfactory known-groups validity. The ST had excellent discriminant validity. The ST scores of 52 for more affected hand and 62 for less affected hand were shown to best discriminate between PwPD and healthy people. The ST is high internal responsiveness based on standardized effect size and standardized response mean (0.79 and 1.88, respectively for more affected hand and 0.85 and 1.83, respectively for less affected hand), and also PwPD had better performance based on the ST in ON state than in OFF state (p < 0.001 for both hands). Moderate correlations were found between the change scores of the ST and UPDRS-III, which reflected adequate external responsiveness., Conclusions: The ST is a reliable, valid and responsive measurement tool for assessing manual dexterity in PwPD., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Study Design: Retrospective review of data., Objective: To determine if there is a relationship between the Asia Impairment Scale (AIS) and the bladder and bowel components of the International Standards to Document Remaining Autonomic Function after SCI (ISAFSCI)., Setting: University-Based Academic Rehabilitation Program., Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study assessing International Standards for Neurologic Classification After SCI (ISNCSCI) examination along with bladder and bowel components of the ISAFSCI., Results: Subjects with AIS A injuries were statistically less likely to have history of bladder control and bowel control per investigator determination and bladder sensation via self-report versus patients categorized with AIS B injuries. Self-reported history of bowel sensation and control of voiding were more likely in subjects with C, D, or E injuries than with B injuries. Bowel and bladder control as determined by investigator and bladder and bowel sensation and control as self-reported were all statistically less likely in persons with AIS A injuries versus CDE., Conclusions: This retrospective study provides initial data regarding components of the bladder and bowel sections of the sacral ISAFSCI and AIS. Further prospective research is needed to further characterize the relationship between retention of bladder and bowel sensation and function and the AIS. We suggest that incorporation of the sacral components of the ISAFSCI into the ISNCSCI may be beneficial to obtain further information about retention of sacral function with specific patterns of injury., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society 2019.)

Purpose : The Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) is a measure of postural stability for children with cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the ECAB and Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) and to determine the responsiveness of the ECAB in children with CP under three years of age. Methods : Twenty seven children (mean age of 25 months) participated. Data were collected before and after 3 and 6 months of physical therapy. Responsiveness was calculated using standardized response means (SRM). Results : Significant relationships were observed between the ECAB, GMFM-66 score (r = 0.87), and GMFM subscales (r = 0.63-0.86). A moderate effect size (SRM = 0.62) and a large effect size (SRM = 0.92) for the ECAB were found over the 3- and 6-month intervention periods, respectively. Conclusion : These results support the validity and responsiveness of the ECAB in young children with CP.

Context: GRASSP Version 1 (GV1) was developed in 2010, is an upper extremity measure specifically designed to assess recovery after traumatic tetraplegia. A second version was developed to reduce length of the test and refine instructions/standardization. The purpose of this post hoc analysis was to calculate psychometric properties of GRASSP Version 2 (GV2). Design/Setting: A post-hoc analysis of datasets for the GRASSP cross-sectional ( n  = 72 chronic,) and longitudinal ( n  = 127 acute) studies was conducted. Reliability, validity and MDD were calculated from the chronic sample and responsiveness was re-calculated from the longitudinal sample. Both studies were observational. Participants: A chronic sample ( n  = 72) and acute longitudinal sample ( n  = 127) of individuals with traumatic tetraplegia (AIS A to D, NLI C2 to C8) were studied. Outcome Measures: GV1, the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM), International Standards of Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) were administered in both studies at all centers and the Capabilities of the Upper Extremity Questionnaire (CUE-Q) was administered in North American sites only. GRASSP-Palmar Sensation, GRASSP-Prehension Performance subtest items included in GV2 were re-analyzed for reliability; validity, MDD and responsiveness. Results: Inter-rater and test-retest reliability for all subtests ranged between 0.849-0.971 and 0.950-0.971 respectively. Concurrent validity between domains of GV2 were positively and moderately (0.530-0.830, P  < 0.0001) correlated to SCIM, SCIM self-care subscore (SS) and CUE-Q. MDD values were 4 and 3 points for sensation and prehension performance (single side). Responsiveness values were .84-.88 for GR-Sens and .93-1.22 for GR-PP respectively. Conclusions: GV2 retains excellent psychometric properties as does GV1.

Study Design: Psychometrics study., Objective: The objective of this study was to introduce a novel tool for pinprick sensation examination and validate its usefulness in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI)., Setting: China Rehabilitation Research Center, Capital Medical University School of Rehabilitation Medicine, China., Methods: A set of cone tools with different tapers (22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, 90°, 112.5°, 135°, 157.5°, and 180°) was made. The cone tool was validated first in 91 able-bodied individuals and then in 30 patients with SCI. The reliability and validity of the cone tool were analyzed by comparing the results of a pinprick sensation examination with the results of the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of SCI (ISNCSCI), the cone tool, and the thermal analyzer., Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the cone tool in able-bodied individuals was between 0.48 and 0.94 while that of the cone tool and the ISNCSCI tool ranged between 0.43 and 0.78. Pinprick sensation in patients with SCI can be graded into five levels using four tapers (22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, and 90°): normal, slight impairment, moderate impairment, severe impairment, and complete loss of sensation., Conclusion: This easy-to-use cone tool can produce a reliable semi-quantitative pinprick test result and is useful for pinprick sensation examination in patients with SCI.

Study Design: Retrospective, longitudinal analysis of motor and sensory outcomes following thoracic (T2-T12) sensorimotor complete spinal cord injury (SCI) in selected patients enrolled into three SCI) registries., Objectives: To establish a modern-day international benchmark for neurological recovery following traumatic complete thoracic sensorimotor SCI in a population similar to those enrolled in acute clinical trials., Setting: Affiliates of the North American Clinical Trial Network (NACTN), European Multicenter Study about Spinal Cord Injury (EMSCI), and the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS)., Methods: Only traumatic thoracic injured patients between 2006 and 2016 meeting commonly used clinical trial inclusion/exclusion criteria such as: age 16-70, T2-T12 neurological level of injury (NLI), ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) A, non-penetrating injury, acute neurological exam within 7 days of injury, and follow-up neurological exam at least ~ 6 months post injury, were included in this analysis. International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord injury outcomes including AIS conversion rate, NLI, and sensory and motor scores/levels were compiled., Results: A total of 170 patients were included from the three registries: 12 from NACTN, 64 from EMSCI, and 94 from SCIMS. AIS conversion rates at approximately 6 months post injury varied from 16.7% to 23.4% (21.1% weighted average). Improved conversion rates were observed in all registries for low thoracic (T10-T12) injuries when compared with high/mid thoracic (T2-T9) injuries. The NLI was generally stable and lower extremity motor score (LEMS) improvement was uncommon and usually limited to low thoracic injuries only., Conclusions: This study presents the aggregation of selected multinational natural history recovery data in thoracic AIS A patients from three SCI registries and demonstrates comparable minimal improvement of ISNCSCI-scored motor and sensory function following these injuries, whereas conversions to higher AIS grades occur at a frequency of ~20%. These data inform the development of future clinical trial protocols in this important patient population for the interpretation of the safety and potential clinical benefit of new therapies, and the potential applicability in a multinational setting., Sponsorship: InVivo Therapeutics.

The neurological examination should always begin before the patient enters the doctor's office. Movement disorders in particular lend themselves to a spot diagnosis. In today's busy buzzing world, it seems wasteful not to make use of the various diagnostic clues that can be picked up readily while the patient is still in the waiting room. We present several illustrative examples, drawn from the literature and from our own experience. These are divided according to the different waiting room 'stages': the patient sitting in the waiting room, the response on being summoned to enter the consulting room-including rising from the chair, exchanging initial pleasantries and the way of walking. We also discuss the importance of paying attention to the patient's behaviour, clothing, posture, breathing patterns, facial expression and major gait abnormalities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Visual gait assessment is a cost-effective clinical method to assess post-stroke gait deviations. The Rivermead Visual Gait Assessment (RVGA) is a one such measure that assesses the kinematic aspect of the gait deviations in stroke. However, the available information on psycho-clinocometric properties of the measure is not adequate., Objective: To establish reliability and validity of RVGA using walking-videos of the post-stroke subjects., Methods: Design: Observational study., Setting: A rehabilitation institute Participants: A convenience sample of 40 chronic stroke patients., Outcome Measures: RVGA, Fugl-Meyer assessment (lower extremity), 10-m walk test, Time up and go test, and Berg balance scale (BBS)., Procedure: Walking was video-taped from the anterior aspect, posterior aspect, affected side, and less-affected side. After coding the tapes, a research staff member provided them to four different raters in a random order. Each rater scored the coded video on the RVGA data collection sheet twice: one at the baseline and another after 1 month to eliminate any recollection of the initial assessment., Results: The findings exhibit that there was good-to-excellent agreement between the scores of the raters and also between the assessments (correlation coefficient = 0.94 to 0.95; P < 0.001). The measure also exhibits acceptable validity when correlated with scores of BBS (r = 0.4; P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Video-based RVGA is a reliable and valid tool to assess gait-related impairment in post-stroke hemiparesis. This cost-effective measure may be incorporated in the clinical and research practice to discern and quantify complex phenomenon of the gait deviation. RVGA may be considered as a useful tool, especially in developing countries where expensive gait analyzer is usually not available., Competing Interests: None

Background: Brain injury with changes in clinical neurological signs and symptoms can develop while children are undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. Critical care nurses routinely screen for neurological decline by using serial bedside neurological assessments. However, assessment components, frequency, and communication thresholds are not standardized., Objectives: To standardize neurological assessment procedures used by nurses, improve compliance with physicians' ordering and nurses' documentation of neurological assessments, and explore the frequency with which changes from preillness neurological status and previous assessments can be detected by using the assessment tool developed., Methods: A quality improvement intervention was implemented during a 1-year period in a 55-bed pediatric intensive care unit with 274 nurses. Procedures for neurological assessment by nurses were standardized, a system for physicians to order neurological assessments by nurses at a frequency based on the patient's risk for brain injury was developed and implemented, and a system to compare patients' current neurological status with their preillness neurological status was developed and implemented., Results: Process metrics that focused on compliance of ordering and documenting the standardized neurological assessments indicated improvement and sustained compliance greater than 80%. Exploratory analyses indicated that 29% of patients had an episode of neurological decline and that these episodes were more common in patients with developmental disabilities than in patients without such disabilities., Conclusions: Compliance with physicians' ordering and nurses' documentation of standardized neurological assessments significantly increased and had excellent sustainability. Further work is needed to determine the sensitivity of standardized nurses' neurological assessment tools for clinically meaningful neurological decline., (©2019 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.)

Background Context: Models for predicting recovery in traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) patients have been developed to optimize care. Several models predicting tSCI recovery have been previously validated, yet recent findings question their accuracy, particularly in patients whose prognoses are the least predictable., Purpose: To compare independent ambulatory outcomes in AIS (ASIA [American Spinal Injury Association] Impairment Scale) A, B, C, and D patients, as well as in AIS B+C and AIS A+D patients by applying two existing logistic regression prediction models., Study Design: A prospective cohort study., Participant Sample: Individuals with tSCI enrolled in the pan-Canadian Rick Hansen SCI Registry (RHSCIR) between 2004 and 2016 with complete neurologic examination and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) outcome data., Outcome Measures: The FIM locomotor score was used to assess independent walking ability at 1-year follow-up., Methods: Two validated prediction models were evaluated for their ability to predict walking 1-year postinjury. Relative prognostic performance was compared with the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC)., Results: In total, 675 tSCI patients were identified for analysis. In model 1, predictive accuracies for 675 AIS A, B, C, and D patients as measured by AUC were 0.730 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.622-0.838), 0.691 (0.533-0.849), 0.850 (0.771-0.928), and 0.516 (0.320-0.711), respectively. In 160 AIS B+C patients, model 1 generated an AUC of 0.833 (95% CI 0.771-0.895), whereas model 2 generated an AUC of 0.821 (95% CI 0.754-0.887). The AUC for 515 AIS A+D patients was 0.954 (95% CI 0.933-0.975) with model 1 and 0.950 (0.928-0.971) with model 2. The difference in prediction accuracy between the AIS B+C cohort and the AIS A+D cohort was statistically significant using both models (p=.00034; p=.00038). The models were not statistically different in individual or subgroup analyses., Conclusions: Previously tested prediction models demonstrated a lower predictive accuracy for AIS B+C than AIS A+D patients. These models were unable to effectively prognosticate AIS A+D patients separately; a failure that was masked when amalgamating the two patient populations. This suggests that former prediction models achieved strong prognostic accuracy by combining AIS classifications coupled with a disproportionately high proportion of AIS A+D patients., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Anesthetics have profound effects on the brain and central nervous system. Vital signs, along with the electroencephalogram and electroencephalogram-based indices, are commonly used to assess the brain states of patients receiving general anesthesia and sedation. Important information about the patient's arousal state during general anesthesia can also be obtained through use of the neurologic examination. This article reviews the main components of the neurologic examination focusing primarily on the brainstem examination. It details the components of the brainstem examination that are most relevant for patient management during induction, maintenance, and emergence from general anesthesia. The examination is easy to apply and provides important complementary information about the patient's arousal level that cannot be discerned from vital signs and electroencephalogram measures.

Objective: To evaluate the combined prognostic value of neurological examination, head circumference and cranial ultrasound for neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) in very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) preterm infants., Methods: Prospective follow-up study. Preterm infants with VLWB were assessed for NDD using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning test at 24 months of corrected age. Abnormal neurological examination (≥2 deviant items of Hammersmith neurological examination), microcephaly and major ultrasound abnormalities, each performed at term age, were evaluated as predictors of NDD in a multivariable Poisson model., Results: 35/132 infants (26.5%) had NDD. In the multivariable analysis, microcephaly (RR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.6-6.7) and major ultrasound abnormalities (RR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.3-5.7) were associated to NDD. The combination of the two tests showed the highest positive predictive value (100%; 95% CI, 51%-100%), while the combination of normal neurological examination, no major US findings and normal head size at term showed the highest negative predictive value (89%; 95% CI, 78%-95%). The maximum under receiver operating characteristic curve area was for microcephaly or major ultrasound abnormalities (AUC 0.74 (0.65-0.83))., Conclusion: The combination of head circumference, cranial ultrasound and neurological examination at term age is useful to predict NDD in VLBW preterm infants., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The degree of training and variability in the clinical brain death examination performed by physicians is not known., Methods: Surveys were distributed to physicians (including physicians-in-training) practicing at 3 separate academic medical centers. Data, including level of practice, training received in completion of a brain death examination, examination components performed, and use of confirmatory tests were collected. Data were evaluated for accuracy in the brain death examination, self-perceived competence in the examination, and indications for confirmatory tests., Results: Of 225 total respondents, 68 reported completing brain death examinations in practice. Most physicians who complete a brain death examination reported they had received training in how to complete the examination (76.1%). Seventeen respondents (25%) reported doing a brain death examination that is consistent with the current practice guideline. As a part of their brain death assessment, 10.3% of physicians did not report completing an apnea test. Of clinicians who obtain confirmatory tests on an as-needed basis, 28.3% do so if a patient breathes during an apnea test, a clinical finding that is not consistent with brain death., Conclusions: There is substantial variability in how physicians approach the adult brain death examination, but our survey also identified lack of training in nearly 1 in 4 academic physicians. A formal training course in the principles and proper technique of the brain death examination by physicians with expert knowledge of this clinical assessment is recommended., (© 2019 American Academy of Neurology.)

Background Context: Red flags are questions typically ascertained by providers to screen for serious underlying spinal pathologies. The utility of patient-reported red flags in guiding clinical decision-making for spine care, however, has not been studied., Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify the sensitivity and specificity of patient-reported red flags in predicting the presence of serious spinal pathologies., Study Design: This was a retrospective nested case-control study., Patient Sample: This study consisted of 120 patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for spinal pathologies and 380 randomly selected patients, from a population of 4,313 patients seen at a large tertiary care spine clinic between October 9, 2013 and June 30, 2014., Outcome Measures: The presence of patient-reported red flags and red flags obtained from medical records was verified for chart review. The spinal pathology (ie, malignancy, fractures, infections, or cauda equina syndrome) was noted for each patient., Methods: The sensitivity and specificity of patient-reported red flags for detecting serious spinal pathologies were calculated from data obtained from the 500 patients. Youden's J was used to rank performance. Agreement between patient-reported red flags and those obtained from medical record review was assessed via Cohen's kappa statistic., Results: "History of cancer" was the best performing patient-reported red flag to identify malignancy (sensitivity=0.75 [95% confidence intervals, CI 0.53-0.90], specificity=0.79 [95% CI 0.75-0.82]). The best performing patient-reported red flag for fractures was the presence of at least one of the following: "Osteoporosis," "Steroid use," and "Trauma" (sensitivity=0.59 [95% CI 0.44-0.72], specificity=0.65 [95% CI 0.60-0.69]). The prevalence of infection and cauda equina diagnoses was insufficient to gauge sensitivity and specificity. Red flags from medical records had better performance than patient-reported red flags. There was poor agreement between patient red flags and those obtained from medical record review., Conclusions: Patient-reported red flags had low sensitivity and specificity for identification of serious pathologies. They should not be used in insolation to make treatment decisions, although they may be useful to prompt further probing to determine if additional investigation is warranted., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background Context: Comparison of measured clinical deficits and outcomes is vital for international discussion about the identification and treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). There is currently little information comparing outcomes as assessed by different CSM scoring systems., Purpose: To qualitatively and quantitatively analyze five specific CSM outcome scores that are frequently used to assess the grade of severity and outcome after operative decompression., Study Design: This retrospective study evaluated the Nurick score, the Japanese Orthopedic Association score (JOA score), the Cooper myelopathy scale (CMS), the Prolo score, and the European myelopathy score (EMS)., Patient Sample: The study included 43 patients with clinical and morphological signs of CSM, who underwent ventral decompression. Data were evaluated in sufficient detail to objectively assess the scores., Outcome Measures: Clinical findings (funicular and radicular symptoms), recovery rate, symptom duration, age, economic situation, time away from employment, somatic-evoked potentials, and radiological findings were assessed., Methods: Scores were assessed using both pre- and postoperative clinical data. Correlations between scores, score improvement, and how well the scores reflected the clinical, diagnostic, and anamnestic data were analyzed using nonparametric, descriptive statistical tests. The recovery rate, as a measure of cumulative outcome, was also assessed and compared for each scoring system., Results: All five scores were suitable for qualitatively assessing the clinical characteristics and progression of cervical myelopathy. All showed a statistically significant correlation (p<.05), and measured postoperative improvement (p<.001). All scores also reflected clinical deficits except for the Prolo score, which rates the severity of CSM with an emphasis on data related to the economic impact on the patient's situation rather than on clinical symptoms per se. Quantitative assessment of clinical symptom improvement varied greatly among the scores, for example, Nurick score (33%) versus JOA score (81%). The recovery rates, as a measure of cumulative improvement, showed less variation among most of the scores. The Nurick score and the EMS measured clinical deficit improvements in significantly fewer patients than did the JOA score (p<.05)., Conclusions: Evaluating the recovery rate is essential for comparing the results of the five CSM scores evaluated in this study. There was a large quantitative difference among the scores as the result of the different criteria used to produce each score. Qualitatively, all five scores allowed evaluation of cervical myelopathy, but only the recovery rate allowed for statistical comparison. Advancements in the treatment of CSM depend on the ability of clinicians to evaluate the therapeutic results of CSM studies. This study suggests that using the recovery rate to assess outcome is best for comparing studies that use different scores., (Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model in order to provide a theoretical foundation of physical therapy diagnosis and intervention. However, the multidirectional relationships between the body structure/function domain variables (spasticity and movement kinematics) and the activity domain variables (e.g. reaching, grasping, folding, and lifting abilities) using the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) remain unknown., Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the directional relationships between the body function and structure domain variables and the activity domain variables using the WMFT., Methods: Nineteen children with cerebral palsy (CP) were recruited from a major rehabilitation center. Standardized clinical tests included Tardieu scale and WMFT, which were used to measure the body function and structure domain (spasticity) and activity domain (reaching, grasping, folding, and lifting abilities). An eight infrared motion capture system (VICON, Oxford, UK) was used to collect kinematics data during reaching, which represent the body function and structure domain variables. Correlational analysis was performed at P < 0.05., Results: Our results revealed a fair to strong relationship between the body function and structure domain variables (11 out of 18 kinematic data) and activity domain variables (WMFT). However, no significant correlation was observed between the Tardieu score and the kinematics data or between the Tardieu score and the WMFT variables., Conclusions: The present findings suggest that the body structure/function domain variables (Kinematic data) are closely associated with activity domain variables (WMFT). However, the body function and structure domain variables within Tardieu spasticity and kinematic data variables were not associated each other, nor between Tardieu spasticity and activity domain variables (WMFT), indicating that Tardieu spasticity test does not seem to account for or reflect active kinematic movement or WFMT variables. This finding provides an important clinical insight when developing a comprehensive assessment and intervention for children with CP.

Background: Somatosensory impairment of the upper limb (UL) occurs in approximately 50% of adults post-stroke, associated with loss of hand motor function, activity and participation. Measurement of UL sensory impairment is a component of rehabilitation contributing to the selection of sensorimotor techniques optimizing recovery and providing a prognostic estimate of UL function. To date, no standardized official French version of a measure of somatosensory impairment has been established., Objective: To develop and validate a French version of the Erasmus modified Nottingham Sensory Assessment somatosensory (EmNSA-SS) and stereognosis (EmNSA-ST) component for evaluating the UL among adults with stroke., Methods: This study is a single-center observational cross-sectional study. A French version of the EmNSA for UL was developed by forward-backward translation and cross-cultural adaptation. Fifty stroke patients were recruited to establish concurrent-criterion-related validity, internal consistency, intra- and inter-rater reproducibility with intracorrelation coefficients (ICCs) for reliability and the minimal detectable change with 95% confidence interval (MDC95) for agreement, as well as ceiling and floor effects. Criterion validity was assessed against the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Sensory (FMA-S) for the UL., Results: The median (range) EmNSA-SS score was 41.5 (1-44). The Spearman rank correlation coefficient between EmNSA-SS and FMA-S total scores was moderate (rho=0.74, P<0.001). The EmNSA-SS/ST internal consistency was adequate across subscales; with Cronbach α ranging from 0.82-0.96. For the EmNSA-SS total score, intra- and inter-rater reliability was excellent (ICC=0.92 in both cases), with MDC95 of 12.3 and 14.6, respectively. EmNSA-SS/ST total scores demonstrated no ceiling or floor effects., Conclusions: The French EmNSA is a valid and reproducible scale that can be used for comprehensive and accurate assessment of somatosensory modalities in adults post-stroke. Taking less than 30min to administer, the instrument has clinical utility for use in patients with cognitive comorbidities and at various stages of recovery in multidisciplinary clinical practice and research settings., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background Context: Despite the prevalence and importance of myelopathy, there is a paucity of objective and quantitative clinical measures. The most commonly used diagnostic tools available are nonquantitative physical exam findings (eg, pathologic reflexes, and gait disturbance) and subjective scoring systems (eg, modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association [mJOA]). A decline in fine motor coordination is a hallmark of early myelopathy, which may be useful for quantitative testing., Purpose: To identify if a novel tablet application could provide a quantitative measure of upper extremity dysfunction in cervical spondylotic myelopathy., Study Design/setting: Prospective cohort study Patient Sample: Adult patients with a diagnosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy from a board-certified, spine surgeon were compared with age-matched, healthy, and adult control patients., Outcome Measures: Self-reported function was assessed via the mJOA. Upper extremity function was measured via the fine motor skills (FiMS) tablet test., Methods: Subjects and controls prospectively completed the mJOA paper survey and the FiMS tablet testing, which consisted of four challenges., Results: After age-matching, 65 controls and 28 myelopathic patients were available for comparison. The mean mJOA was 13.5 ± 2.9 in the myelopathic cohort and 17.3 ± 1.1 in the control cohort (p < .0001). The average scores for challenges 1-4 in control patients were 24.4, 16.3, 3.2, and 6.6, respectively, whereas the average scores for the myelopathic patients were 16.6, 10.5, 1.4, and 1.8, respectively (p values for all four challenges <.001). Based upon the 15 control subjects who repeated FiMS testing four sequential times, intrarater reliability was excellent, yielding an interclass correlation coefficient of 0.88 CONCLUSIONS: The FiMS tablet application produced significantly lower scores in a myelopathic cohort when compared with an age-matched control cohort. This is true for all four challenges in the FiMS tablet application. The test can be completed in 1.5 minutes, producing a reliable, quantitative measure of cervical myelopathy upper extremity function. In summary, the FiMS tablet application is a novel, easily administered, objectively quantifiable test for analyzing cervical spondylotic myelopathy., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Explore how traumatic brain injury (TBI) is screened among spinal cord injury (SCI) patients across the continuum of care., Design: Retrospective chart review Setting: Emergency department, trauma, inpatient rehabilitation Participants: 325 patients with SCI from inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) between March 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014 were screened. 49 eligible subjects had traumatic SCI and received care in adjoining acute care (AC) hospital., Outcome Measures: Demographic characteristics and variables that capture diagnosis of TBI/SCI included documentation from ambulance, emergency department, AC, and IRF including ICD-9 codes, altered mental status, loss of consciousness (LOC), Glasgow Coma Score, Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA), neuroimaging, and cognitive assessments., Results: Participants were male (81%), white (55%), privately insured (49%), and aged 39.3±18.0 years with 51% paraplegic and 49% tetraplegic. Mechanisms of injury were gunshot wound (31%), fall (29%), and motor vehicle accident (20%). TBI occurred in 65% of SCI individuals, however documentation of identification of TBI, LOC, and CT imaging results varied in H&P, discharge notes, and ICD-9 codes across the continuum. Cognitive assessments were performed on 16% of subjects., Conclusions: Documentation showed variability between AC and IRF and among disciplines. Imaging and GCS were more consistently documented than LOC and PTA. It is necessary to standardize screening processes between AC and IRF to identify dual diagnosis.

Objective: This prospective study investigated the relationship between Amiel-Tison neurological assessment (ATNA) in preterm children and their psychosocial functioning in adolescence., Methods: From the initial group of 45 children regularly assessed by the ATNA from term until the age of 2 years, 27 participated in the follow-up at 13 years., Results: Of the three groups categorized by neurological signs as normal, intermediate or abnormal, parents of adolescents with normal ATNA reported the lowest number of executive function problems (p = 0.019) and behavioral symptoms (p = 0.011), while the adolescents themselves reported the lowest number of behavioral symptoms (p = 0.005) and the highest quality of life (p = 0.012). The number of problems reported increased with the number of abnormal neurological signs., Conclusion: Standardized neurological assessment may be a helpful clinical tool for the identification of children at risk for later psychosocial problems who could benefit from prevention and early intervention programs.

Primary Objective : To assess a rapid concussion screening tool in Service members participating in combatives (mixed martial arts; MMA) training school. Research Design : This prospective study included baseline and either post-training or post-injury assessments. Methods and Procedures : Baseline (N = 152) and post-assessments (n = 129) of Service members included symptom reporting and the King-Devick (KD) oculomotor test. Outcomes and Results : Headache, balance problems, and dizziness were the most severe concussive symptoms. KD scores for those who sustained a concussion (n = 31) were significantly worse compared to baseline, but not for participants who finished the course with no concussion (n = 98). For concussed, 74.2% had scores that were worse from baseline (slower) compared to 39.8% of the post-training group. KD scores were worse 34.4% more in individuals who sustained a concussion compared to those who did not. However, there was poor discriminant ability of the KD test (AUC = .60, sensitivity/specificity) to distinguish between concussed and non-concussed participants. Conclusions : The KD test should not be used in isolation as a sideline or field concussion assessment during training scenarios. Rather, it has potential utility for evaluating individual cases to supplement decision making when an established baseline is available.

Background: Life in rural areas differs from life in urban areas not only in geographical conditions, but also in health care structure., Objective: Our aim is to compare the diagnostic process and the management of dementia in rural and urban areas of Sweden., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with dementia living in rural (n = 16,428), intermediate (n = 18,033), and urban (n = 23,680) areas in Sweden including patients registered from 2007 through 2014 in the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem). Descriptive statistics are shown. Odds ratios with 95% CI are presented for basic diagnostic examinations in rural compared to intermediate and urban areas, adjusted for age, sex, type of care (primary versus specialist), and comorbidities. Analyses were also stratified for diagnostic care unit (primary versus specialist)., Results: Patients who lived in rural areas were more likely to receive a complete basic examination, MMSE examination, Clock test, blood analysis, and neuro-imaging, compared to patients living in urban areas, and also compared to patients living in intermediate areas. Sex differences were seen in nearly all domains, with men receiving more diagnostic work-up than women. Stratified analyses show that in primary care, the complete basic examination is less frequently performed in urban and intermediate areas compared to rural areas., Conclusion: There are differences in diagnostic work-up for dementia between rural, intermediate, and urban areas in Sweden. These results should be considered in future healthcare decisions to ensure equality of health care across rural and urban areas.

Misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) (the incorrect assignment of a diagnosis of MS) remains a problem in contemporary clinical practice. Studies indicate that misdiagnosed patients are often exposed to prolonged unnecessary health care risks and morbidity. The recently published 2017 revision of the McDonald criteria for the diagnosis of MS provides an opportunity to consider the effect of these revisions on the problem of MS misdiagnosis. The 2017 McDonald criteria include several new recommendations to reduce potential for misdiagnoses. The criteria should be used for the types of patients in which validation studies were performed, specifically those patients who present with typical demyelinating syndromes. MRI lesion characteristics were defined for which McDonald criteria would be expected to perform with accuracy. However, 2017 revisions, which now include assessment for cortical lesions, and the inclusion of symptomatic lesions and positive oligoclonal bands for the fulfillment of diagnostic criteria, may have the potential to lead to misdiagnosis of MS if not applied appropriately. While the 2017 McDonald criteria integrate issues relating to MS misdiagnosis and incorporate specific recommendations for its prevention more prominently than prior criteria, the interpretation of clinical and radiologic assessments upon which these criteria depend will continue to allow misdiagnoses. In patients with atypical clinical presentations, the revised McDonald criteria may not be readily applied. In those situations, further evaluation or monitoring rather than immediate diagnosis of MS is prudent., (© 2018 American Academy of Neurology.)

Background: Despite the widespread adoption of targeted temperature management (TTM), coma after cardiac arrest remains a common problem with a high proportion of patients suffering substantial disability. Prognostication after cardiac arrest, particularly the identification of patients with likely good outcome, remains difficult., Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 78 patients who underwent TTM after cardiac arrest and were evaluated with both electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that combining malignant versus non-malignant EEG classification with clinical exam and quantitative analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging would improve prognostic ability., Results: Consistent with prior literature, presence of a malignant EEG pattern was 100% specific for poor outcome. We found that decreased whole brain ADC signal intensity was associated with poor outcome (853 ± 14 vs. 950 ± 17.5 mm 2 /s, p < 0.0001). Less than 15% total brain volume with ADC signal intensity < 650 mm 2 /s was predictive of good outcome with 100% sensitivity, 51% specificity and an area under the curve of 0.787. A model combining this ADC marker with non-malignant EEG and flexor-or-better motor response was 100% sensitive and 91.1% specific for good outcome following cardiac arrest and targeted temperature management., Conclusion: We conclude that in the absence of malignant EEG findings, combination of physical exam and MRI findings can be a useful to identify those patients who have potential for recovery. Variability in timing of imaging and findings in different modalities argue for the need for future prospective studies of multimodal outcome prediction after cardiac arrest.

Objective/Context To highlight questions with regards to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) and provide historical perspectives to help SCI professionals gain fuller insights into the classification system. Methods Frequently asked questions to the ISNCSCI were collected and a review of literature and personal communications with International Standards committee members and Chairs were undertaken. Results Background and explanations for nine questions, detailing decision processes and challenging classification rules are presented. Conclusion While the ISNCSCI can be challenging, this background and historical explanation may provide a greater understanding and the ability to critically analyze this classification system.

Background: The Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination is one of several useful tools for early identification of cerebral palsy; however, cut-off scores for cerebral palsy do not consistently distinguish infants with hemiplegia from those typically developing. We hypothesized that use of an asymmetry score, in addition to the assessment's standard total cutoff score, could remedy this problem in a clinical setting., Methods: This retrospective study of a neonatal intensive care follow-up program with consistent clinical use of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination matched infants with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy to infants without motor delays or evidence of neurodevelopmental impairments. Groups had same corrected and gestational ages at Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination assessment. Asymmetry presence was recorded., Results: Of 74 infants with cerebral palsy, 28 had quadriplegia, 11 had diplegia, and 35 had hemiplegia. Median total Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination and asymmetry scores for hemiplegia were 57.5 and 10 versus 76 and 0 for those without cerebral palsy. Sensitivity and specificity to distinguish hemiplegia from typical development by combining a total Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination score less than 63 and an asymmetry score greater than 5 were 91.8% and 100%, respectively., Conclusions: In a clinical setting, combining total Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination and asymmetry scores can help providers differentiate infants with hemiplegia from those typically developing., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To determine if a self-report measure of S4-5 motor and sensory function in patients with chronic SCI accurately predicts sacral examination results., Design: Prospective, single-blinded self-report survey compared with sacral exam., Setting: Outpatient SCI clinic., Participants: 116 patients aged 18+ with chronic SCI > 6 months who have undergone sacral exam., Interventions: The survey included demographic/clinical and sacral function information such as light tough (LT), pinprick sensation (PP), deep anal pressure (DAP) and voluntary anal contraction (VAC). Survey results and sacral exam were compared and stratified by the patient's American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) category., Outcome Measures: Sacral self-report survey, AIS examination., Results: Mean age was 41.3 ± 14.4 years with majority male (69%) and Caucasian (71.6%). Overall, Positive Predictive Value (PPV) ranged between 48% (VAC) to 73% (DAP) and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) between 92% (VAC) to 100% (LT). AIS-A had NPV of 100% across all categories, and AIS-D had PPV of 100% across all categories., Conclusion: Patient report of sacral sparing can predict negative sensation in patients with AIS-A and predict positive sensation in persons with AIS-D. Overall, the self-report of sacral sparing of motor and sensory function is not predictive enough to rely on for accurate classification.

Objective: To investigate the concurrent validity of AIMS in relation to the gross motor subtest of the Bayley Scale III/GM in preterm infants., Methods: A total of 159 gross motor development assessments were performed with the AIMS and Bayley-III/GM. Linear regression was used to assess the correlation between AIMS and Bayley-III/GM scores. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Bland-Altman plot were used to analyze intra- and inter-rater reliability., Results: There was a prevalence of delayed gross motor development of 20.8% according to the Bayley-III/GM, and 11.9% for the 5th percentile and 21.4% for the 10th percentile of AIMS. A good correlation of AIMS with Bayley-III/GM scores and intra- and inter-rater reliability was encountered in this study., Conclusion: AIMS proved very capable of detecting delayed gross motor development in preterm infants when compared with the Bayley-III/GM. The 10th percentile of AIMS provided the best combination of indicators, with greater specificity.

The neurological examination remains the essence of neurology. It allows symptoms to be assessed, diagnoses to be made, and dynamic functions to be followed. Skill in the neurological examination has faced increasing challenges from the encroachment of diagnostic imaging, but has maintained its clinical utility. It has also encountered the battle for the precious time within a medical curriculum. This review considers how the neurological examination can best be taught into the future. It does so by considering factors related to the examination, the learner, the teacher, and the modern clinical environment., Competing Interests: None., (Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.)

Background: Fundoscopy is an important component of the neurological examination as it can detect pathologies such as high intracranial pressure. However, the examination can be challenging in young children. This study evaluated whether playing a video during eye examination improves the success, duration, and ease of pediatric fundoscopy., Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, multipractitioner, multiclinic, randomized controlled trial. Patients aged one to four years were recruited in the emergency department, neurology clinic, spinal cord clinic, and general pediatric clinic. Eye examination was randomized to video or non-video-assisted fundoscopy. Successful examinations were defined as visualizing the fundus within 60 seconds. Time to visualize optic disc was recorded and difficulty of examination was assessed using a 10-point Likert scale., Results: We recruited 101 subjects with a mean age of 2.8 years. Overall, there was a 20% absolute improvement in the success rate of visualizing the optic disc in the video versus non-video group (P < 0.001, 95%CI: 7.8% to 31%). Time to visualize optic disc was also improved (Δ5.3 seconds, P < 0.01, 95%CI: 1.4 to 9.1 seconds). Practitioners and caregivers noticed a 33% (P < 0.01, 95%CI: 21% to 44%) and 42% (P < 0.01, 95%CI: 30% to 56%) relative improvement in the ease of examination with video, respectively., Conclusions: The use of videos improved the ease, duration, and, most importantly, the success of fundoscopy in younger children. This simple, inexpensive adjunct has great potential to improve the ease and efficacy of this aspect of the neurological examination and allow fundoscopic examination to be effectively performed earlier in the age-appropriate vision screening protocols., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background Context: Because imaging findings of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) may not be associated with symptoms, clinical classification criteria based on patient symptoms and physical examination findings are needed., Purpose: The objective of this study was to develop clinical classification criteria that identify patients with neurogenic claudication (NC) caused by LSS., Study Design: This study is a two-stage process that includes Phase 1, the Delphi process, and Phase 2, the cross-sectional study., Patient Sample: Outpatients were recruited from spine clinics in five countries., Outcome Measure: The outcome measure includes items from the patients' history and physical examination., Methods: In Phase 1, a list of potential predictors of NC caused by LSS was based on the available literature and was evaluated through a Delphi process involving 17 spine specialists (surgeons and non-surgeons) from eight countries. In Phase 2, 19 different clinical spine specialists from five countries identified patients they classified as having (1) NC caused by LSS, (2) radicular pain caused by lumbar disc herniation (LDH), or (3) non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) with radiating leg pain. The patients completed survey items and the specialists documented the examination signs. Coefficients from general estimating equation models were used to select predictors, to generate a clinical classification score, and to obtain a receiver operating characteristic curve. Conduction of the Delphi process, data management, and statistical analysis were partially supported by an unrestricted grant of less than 15,000 US dollars from Merck Sharp & Dohme. No fees were allocated to participating spine specialists., Results: Phase 1 generated a final list of 46 items related to LSS. In Phase 2, 209 patients with leg pain caused by LSS (n=63), LDH (n=89), or NSLBP (n=57) were included. Criteria that independently predicted NC (p<.05) were age over 60 years, positive 30-second extension test, negative straight leg test, pain in both legs, leg pain relieved by sitting, and leg pain decreased by leaning forward or flexing the spine. A classification score using a weighted set of these criteria was developed. The proposed N-CLASS score ranged from 0 to 19 and had an area under the curve of 0.92, and the cutoff (>10/19) to obtain a specificity of >90.0% resulted in a sensitivity of 82.0%., Conclusions: Clinical criteria independently associated with neurogenic claudication due to LSS were identified. The use of these symptom and physical variables as a classification score for clinical research could improve homogeneity among enrolled patients., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

BackgroundThe Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) is a standardized method for infant neurobehavioral assessment. Normative values are available for newborns, but the NNNS is not always feasible at birth. Unfortunately, 1-month NNNS normative data are lacking.AimsTo provide normative data for the NNNS examination at 1 month and to assess birth-to-one-month changes in NNNS summary scores.Study designThe NNNS was administered at birth and at 1 month within a longitudinal prospective study design.SubjectsA cohort of 99 clinically healthy full-term infants were recruited from a well-child nursery.Outcome measuresBirth-to-1-month NNNS variations were evaluated and the association of neonatal and sociodemographic variables with the rate of change of NNNS summary scores were investigated.Results and conclusionsNNNS scores from the 10th to the 90th percentile represent a range of normative performance at 1 month. A complex pattern of stability and change emerged comparing NNNS summary scores from birth to 1 month. Orienting, Regulation, and Quality of movements significantly increased, whereas Lethargy and Hypotonicity significantly decreased. Birth-to-1-month changes in NNNS performance suggest improvements in neurobehavioral organization. These data are useful for research purposes and for clinical evaluation of neurobehavioral performance in both healthy and at-risk 1-month-old infants.

Semiology observation and characterization play a major role in the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy. However, the interpretation of patient movements has subjective and intrinsic challenges. In this paper, we develop approaches to attempt to automatically extract and classify semiological patterns from facial expressions. We address limitations of existing computer-based analytical approaches of epilepsy monitoring, where facial movements have largely been ignored. This is an area that has seen limited advances in the literature. Inspired by recent advances in deep learning, we propose two deep learning models, landmark-based and region-based, to quantitatively identify changes in facial semiology in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) from spontaneous expressions during phase I monitoring. A dataset has been collected from the Mater Advanced Epilepsy Unit (Brisbane, Australia) and is used to evaluate our proposed approach. Our experiments show that a landmark-based approach achieves promising results in analyzing facial semiology, where movements can be effectively marked and tracked when there is a frontal face on visualization. However, the region-based counterpart with spatiotemporal features achieves more accurate results when confronted with extreme head positions. A multifold cross-validation of the region-based approach exhibited an average test accuracy of 95.19% and an average AUC of 0.98 of the ROC curve. Conversely, a leave-one-subject-out cross-validation scheme for the same approach reveals a reduction in accuracy for the model as it is affected by data limitations and achieves an average test accuracy of 50.85%. Overall, the proposed deep learning models have shown promise in quantifying ictal facial movements in patients with MTLE. In turn, this may serve to enhance the automated presurgical epilepsy evaluation by allowing for standardization, mitigating bias, and assessing key features. The computer-aided diagnosis may help to support clinical decision-making and prevent erroneous localization and surgery., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Deficits in motor movement in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have typically been characterized qualitatively by human observers. Although clinicians have noted the importance of atypical head positioning (e.g. social peering and repetitive head banging) when diagnosing children with ASD, a quantitative understanding of head movement in ASD is lacking. Here, we conduct a quantitative comparison of head movement dynamics in children with and without ASD using automated, person-independent computer-vision based head tracking (Zface). Because children with ASD often exhibit preferential attention to nonsocial versus social stimuli, we investigated whether children with and without ASD differed in their head movement dynamics depending on stimulus sociality., Methods: The current study examined differences in head movement dynamics in children with ( n  = 21) and without ASD ( n  = 21). Children were video-recorded while watching a 16-min video of social and nonsocial stimuli. Three dimensions of rigid head movement-pitch (head nods), yaw (head turns), and roll (lateral head inclinations)-were tracked using Zface. The root mean square of pitch, yaw, and roll was calculated to index the magnitude of head angular displacement (quantity of head movement) and angular velocity (speed)., Results: Compared with children without ASD, children with ASD exhibited greater yaw displacement, indicating greater head turning, and greater velocity of yaw and roll, indicating faster head turning and inclination. Follow-up analyses indicated that differences in head movement dynamics were specific to the social rather than the nonsocial stimulus condition., Conclusions: Head movement dynamics (displacement and velocity) were greater in children with ASD than in children without ASD, providing a quantitative foundation for previous clinical reports. Head movement differences were evident in lateral (yaw and roll) but not vertical (pitch) movement and were specific to a social rather than nonsocial condition. When presented with social stimuli, children with ASD had higher levels of head movement and moved their heads more quickly than children without ASD. Children with ASD may use head movement to modulate their perception of social scenes., Competing Interests: JCohn leads efforts to develop methods for the automatic analysis of facial expression and automated tracking of rigid and non-rigid head motion and applied those tools to research in psychopathology. ZH is part of the JCohn’s interdisciplinary group and has applied computer vision and machine learning to improve measurement of and theoretical advances in mother-infant interaction, depression, pain, and social interaction. JCassell is the director of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, in the school of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and focuses on applying computer vision systems to the study of human interactions. GR is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Computational Science and is part of the Big Data Mining and Data Analytics team, and MO is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Miami. Together, GR and MO have expertise in computational approaches to big-data. JB is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami with expertise in interdisciplinary research that utilizes advancements in technology to study the intersection of human development and clinical outcomes. AG is the assistant director for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the University of Miami. DM’s research uses objective measurement of body movement, facial expression, and vocalization to better understand communicative development in typically developing children and those affected by ASD.Recruitment and procedures were approved by the University of Miami’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Internal Review Board (reference number: 20070095). Written, parental consent was obtained before participation in the study.Parents consented to the following: “VIDEOTAPES: When the researcher plays with your child and when your child watches the children’s videos, we will be videotaping your child. The videotapes of your child will be coded by experts, undergraduate students, and other parents. Additionally, the videos will be measured using computer software at the University of Miami, University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Denver. They may also be used in publications and at scientific conferences. You agree to all of these uses by taking part in this study….” “CONFIDENTIALITY: Your child’s videotaped images will be rated by other people, analyzed by computer at the University of Pittsburgh, and presented in scientific reports. The images will not be linked to personal identifiers in any way. These videotaped images are scientifically valuable and will be stored permanently by the investigators as a record of this study. At your request, the images will be immediately destroyed. The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) may request to review and obtain copies of your records. Your records may also be reviewed for audit purposes by authorized University employees or other agents who will be bound by the same provisions of confidentiality.”The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is a commonly used concussion assessment tool. Recent studies have questioned the stability and reliability of baseline BESS scores. The purpose of this longitudinal prospective cohort study is to examine differences in yearly baseline BESS scores in athletes participating on an NCAA Division-I football team. NCAA Division-I freshman football athletes were videotaped performing the BESS test at matriculation and after 1 year of participation in the football program. Twenty-three athletes were enrolled in year 1 of the study, and 25 athletes were enrolled in year 2. Those athletes enrolled in year 1 were again videotaped after year 2 of the study. The paired t-test was used to assess for change in score over time for the firm surface, foam surface, and the cumulative BESS score. Additionally, inter- and intrarater reliability values were calculated. Cumulative errors on the BESS significantly decreased from a mean of 20.3 at baseline to 16.8 after 1 year of participation. The mean number of errors following the second year of participation was 15.0. Inter-rater reliability for the cumulative score ranged from 0.65 to 0.75. Intrarater reliability was 0.81. After 1 year of participation, there is a statistically and clinically significant improvement in BESS scores in an NCAA Division-I football program. Although additional improvement in BESS scores was noted after a second year of participation, it did not reach statistical significance. Football athletes should undergo baseline BESS testing at least yearly if the BESS is to be optimally useful as a diagnostic test for concussion.

Background: Previous predictive research has predominantly focussed on infants who are preterm, low birth weight, who have a specific condition or who have undergone a specific procedure., Aim: This study investigated the ability of outcomes at one year of age to predict outcomes at three years using the Bayley-III for infants who have undergone early major cardiac surgery (CS) or non-cardiac (NC) surgery and their healthy peers., Study Design: Participants who were part of the Development After Infant Surgery (DAISy) study who had complete Bayley-III assessments at one and three years of age were included in the analyses. This included 103 infants who had undergone CS, 158 who had NC surgery and 160 controls., Results: Bayley-III outcomes at one, although statistically significantly associated with three year outcomes in all domains were weak predictors of those outcomes for CS, NC surgical and healthy infants. Specificity for three year outcomes was good for cognitive, receptive language and fine motor domains for infants who had undergone CS and NC surgery. Sensitivity for <-1 SD at three years was poor for cognitive, expressive and receptive language, and fine motor outcomes for CS and NC surgical participants., Conclusion: It remains difficult to predict how performance at one year on the Bayley-IIII predicts performance at three on the Bayley-III for infants who have undergone early major CS or NC surgery and for healthy Australian infants., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify if the amount of experience or the specific professional field of the raters may influence inter-rater reliability of the Salford Gait Tool (SF-GT)., Methods: Standardized videos of gait of seven children with cerebral palsy were recorded and assessed by three physiotherapists with experience in pediatrics (PPTs), three physiotherapists with experience with adult individuals (n-PPTs), and three students of physiotherapy., Results: The inter-rater reliability both for joints and gait events was acceptable (ICC ≥ .70) for PPTs and n-PPTs, but not for students., Conclusions: The inter-rater reliability of the SF-GT can be influenced by the experience of the raters and the amount of clinical experience seems to be more relevant than the specific professional field. Further research should be conducted with larger samples.

In the past two decades, many tools have been reported to measure the cervical range of motion (CROM), but most of the results are controversial in healthy individuals and/or individuals with neck pain. The Coda Motion 3-D Analysis system is a new instrument that measures three-dimensional joint movement. However, measurements of CROM using this system have yet to be conducted. Here, we investigate the reliability and validity of the Coda Motion 3-D Analysis System for measuring CROM in healthy adults. Sixty healthy volunteers were involved in this reliability study. Two trained investigators (M1 and M2) used the Coda Motion 3-D Analysis System to measure CROM. M1 and M2 measured all the volunteers once independently; after a short rest, M1 then measured all of them again. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of the measurements (SEM), smallest detectable difference (SDD), a scatter diagram, and the limits of agreement (LoAs) were applied to evaluate the inter-tester and intra-tester reliability. Thirty healthy volunteers were involved in this validity study. The cervical flexion and extension ranges of motion were measured simultaneously with both the Coda Motion 3-D Analysis System and X-ray. A scatter diagram, the Pearson correlation coefficient and LoAs were used to evaluate the validity. Excellent intra-tester and inter-tester reliabilities were observed for the Coda Motion 3-D Analysis System (intra-tester ICC: 0.84-0.95, inter-tester ICC: 0.84-0.90). Good validity was achieved in extension and flexion with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.78 to 0.91. The Coda Motion 3-D Analysis System has excellent reliability for the measurement of CROM and good validity for measurements of flexion and extension in healthy subjects. This system has the potential to be used to measure the normal active CROM in the clinic and is accurate, safe, non-invasive, and radiation free., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The search for reliable techniques to assess gait in stroke patients is crucial for the design and follow-up of rehabilitation programs., Objective: To assess the reproducibility of kinematic and kinetic gait parameters in chronic stroke patients using a three-dimensional gait analysis system., Methods: Ten chronic stroke patients were assessed while walking along a 20 m walkway at their natural speed, using a gait analysis system of six infrared cameras and two force plates. Each patient performed 10 gait trials on 2 separate days. Inter-measurement agreement was assessed with the Coefficient of Multiple Correlation, while Root Mean Square Differences were used to quantify the variability of the trials., Results: The majority of kinetics and kinematics showed excellent reproducibility in all patients. Joints' power seemed to be more reliable compared with joints' angle and moment. Most parameters presented greater variability in non-paretic than the paretic leg, while they were less variable in the sagittal compared with the non-sagittal planes. Less than 10 trials were sufficient to obtain excellent reproducibility for most kinematic and kinetic parameters., Conclusions: The reproducibility of movement assessment through three-dimensional gait analysis appears excellent in chronic stroke patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of physical functioning tests in patients with low back pain (LBP) and to investigate their reliability., Data Sources: A systematic computerized search was finalized in four different databases on June 24, 2017: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and MEDLINE., Study Selection: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed during all stages of this review. Clinical studies that investigate the reliability of physical functioning tests in patients with LBP were eligible. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed with the use of the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. To come to final conclusions on the reliability of the identified clinical tests, the current review assessed three factors, namely, outcome assessment, methodological quality, and consistency of description., Data Synthesis: A total of 20 studies were found eligible and 38 clinical tests were identified. Good overall test-retest reliability was concluded for the extensor endurance test (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.93-0.97), the flexor endurance test (ICC=0.90-0.97), the 5-minute walking test (ICC=0.89-0.99), the 50-ft walking test (ICC=0.76-0.96), the shuttle walk test (ICC=0.92-0.99), the sit-to-stand test (ICC=0.91-0.99), and the loaded forward reach test (ICC=0.74-0.98). For inter-rater reliability, only one test, namely, the Biering-Sörensen test (ICC=0.88-0.99), could be concluded to have an overall good inter-rater reliability. None of the identified clinical tests could be concluded to have a good intrarater reliability., Conclusions: Further investigation should focus on a better overall study methodology and the use of identical protocols for the description of clinical tests. The assessment of reliability is only a first step in the recommendation process for the use of clinical tests. In future research, the identified clinical tests in the current review should be further investigated for validity. Only when these clinimetric properties of a clinical test have been thoroughly investigated can a final conclusion regarding the clinical and scientific use of the identified tests be made., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Weakness is a major impairment in many movement disorders, including cerebral palsy (CP), which presents as a decrease in muscle strength. Manual muscle testing (MMT) is very popular in clinical practice, however it has many limitations., Objective: (1) Whether maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) measures differ across clinical MMT groups; (2) Whether an association exists between clinical MMT score groups and instrumental MVC measures., Methods: Twenty-one participants with spastic CP were recruited (11 females and 10 males; age = 13.46±3.62 years). To achieve the aims of the study, we investigated the relationship between qualitative (MMT) and instrumental (MVC) measures of knee flexor muscles' strength in patients with CP., Results: MVC values increased somewhat proportionally with increasing MMT score group (p = 0.032, MS = 207.54, F = 3.75). The differences in MVC values was only statistically significant between score groups 3 and 5. A weak correlation (R = 0.4, MVC = -2.54 + 4.50 MMT, p < 0.01) was found between measured MVCs and the MMT score groups., Conclusions: In pediatric research studies, instrumental MVC should be preferred over MMT scoring. Also, MMT score groups higher than 3 should be modified in clinical testing of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.